Toshiba Pushes SSD To 256GB, Adds to Netbook Lineup

In a welcomed move, Toshiba announced plans for a Q4 2008 release of its new 2.5″ 256GB SSD drive utilizing SATA II interface. To keep costs relatively low, Toshiba will employ next-generation MLC architecture with maximum read and write speeds of 120MB/s and 70MB/s respectively. For the exploding netbook market, Toshiba has also announced 8GB, 16GB and 32GB variants with speeds of 80MB/s read and 50MB/s write. Toshiba’s new drives are not groundbreaking as there are 256GB variants from a slew of manufacturers, but its 3mm thickness is definitely among the thinnest on the market. The prospect of a lower-cost SSD than what is currently available definitely pushes the envelope for a more affordable solution that more of us can enjoy. Exact pricing, however, has not been announced.